Disclaimer see Chapter 1
Note: Here it is now all fixed up. Tx to Inachis for making this story more readable.
Chapter 2
Early in the morning the sun was rising and outside the great stone temple where the Jedi Praxeum was located, the ship, renamed Enterprise by its captain, landed slowly and clumsy on the landing pads.
"Who is it Uncle Luke?" the 16 year old girl said to the taller man beside her.
Luke smiled. "It's a stranger from a strange place. He is your age and he is powerful. Perhaps you, Jaina and your brother could show him around. It would be good for him to have friends his own age."
Jaina nodded. "It's a sweet ship, a Ghtroc 720." She had read about them and even had seen some of them. This one was in mint condition. "It was one of those you used during the Thraw campaign, right?" she asked her uncle.
Luke nodded. "Yes, but it was an old beat up ship. They made a ferry out of it so I could hide my X-wing inside the ship. Then whenever I had to make a quick getaway I could just jump in the X-wing, push the self-destruct button and fly away while the fragments of the Ghtroc protected my escape."
Jaina grinned. "Whoever is flying that ship is NOT a good pilot."
Luke nodded in agreement. "It's the first time he's ever landed a ship. His first flying lesson was during takeoff. So I would say he has potential." Jaina frowned. "He never piloted a ship before? What backwards planet did he come from?" She shrugged, "Plenty of farm boys, wet behind the ears, later became great heroes and some were even family."
With a big bump that must have damaged the left rear landing gear and the landing pad, the ship hit the pavement.
Jaina twitched as the pilot kept abusing his ship. By activating the ion engine he was rocketing up into the air again.
By now more and more Jedi students were watching the show.
Lowbacka frowned. "Roar rrrgroor" he asked.
Jacen shrugged. "No idea."
-KA-
Meanwhile the ship was returning down again. Trying for a slower south entry and flying straight into a tree. Luke twitched as the front right landing gear got stuck in one of the massive Massasi trees and he could hear the ripping sound, as huge branches were ripped of the tree and the ship came in for the landing. This time the pilot managed to smash the ship down in a 3 point landing.
Lucky for him the branches buffered his landing and kept the ship from getting damaged any more than it already was.
A bleeping sound of absolute bafflement came from R2D2 and Luke smiled. "No, he has no license. I believe he stole the ship from some criminals." He smiled as the other Jedi students stared in shock." He is an interesting student."
"Poor ship." Jaina said.
Jacen frowned, "A ship thief?"
Lowbacka shrugged. "Grrorar" he reminded Jacen that they had stolen a ship too, to escape from the shadow academy.
Tenel Ka nodded, "Indeed there are thieves and then there are those who are forced to be a thief to survive" she said.
Not surprising to Jaina, Jacen nodded, as if agreeing with Tenel Ka.
-KA-
Finally the entry ramp was lowered and a strangely dressed young man walked out of the ship.
Whatever he was dressed in, must have been stolen also, because it barely fit him and from what Jaina could see, consisted of what must have been the latest Sulustan fashion.
Xander swallowed. Oh boy, he sure made a good entrance. "Hi. If anybody is wondering, I am NOT a good pilot and I'm in desperate need of piloting lessons" he said, trying not to blush.
Tenel-Ka nodded as she studied the young man. He was built like a fighter. Strong and powerful, and yet he had a dexterous body. His eyes were pulsing in a mix between green and yellow, with the beat of his heart. "Indeed" she said.
Jaina nodded, now that was one big hunk of a teen dream. "Uncle Luke, uhm Master Skywalker asked me, my brother and our friends to help you around and I could give you flying lessons" she said.
Luke's eyes studied the teenagers. It looked like they would get along. "Welcome. Is it Alexander or Xander?" Anakin Skywalker, his father, had talked to him about the young man, so he knew about Xander.
Xander blinked. "Um, both actually, my name IS Alexander, but I like Xander more. It's shorter and less formal." His journey through space had made him accept the name Alexander. He felt that being banished into this universe to save his own world earned him the meaning of the name. (Alexander - protector of men)
Besides, it would remind him that he was a savior and protector. Perhaps it would help him remember who he was.
Luke said, "Then Welcome to the Jedi Praxeum, Alexander, where we will begin your journey as a Jedi Knight."
The boy smiled a bitter sweet smile. "Thanks."
Luke smiled back, "The lessons are individualized. You will begin with the beginners and then, if you are skilled, we will move you to more advanced lessons. For some it may take years and for others only months."
He turned to Jaina. "I'm sure my niece and her friends can help you with piloting lessons." He looked around. "Sadly I have to leave you for now. I will be back later this evening."
Jaina walked up to Xander and looked him over. He had muscles like steel. "Hi! I'm Jaina," she said.
Her brother joined them and held up his hand. "Hi, I´m Jacen, her twin brother" he said smiling, as Xander grabbed his hand and shook it quickly.
Lowbacka frowned as he growled out a question. The tiny Droid M-TD hanging from his belt spoke up. "Master Lowbacka wonders whether the name Alexander has any special meaning, since you said you liked the shorter version better because it had a less formal meaning."
Behind them Jacen was massaging his hand. He hoped nothing was broken.
Xander blinked, he had said formal only because it had sounded better when a teacher was screaming it in his face. "Actually Alexander is an old name meaning protector of humans." He said making a free translation from Greece to Basic. He grinned. "Xander would be simply human."
Jaina grinned. "So we could just call you human?"
Xander just grinned back to her. "It's an OLD name in a now dead language from my home world. Most don't even know the meaning of the name" he said as he smiled and started to see who had the strongest grip, the Wookiee Lowbacka or he himself.
Lowbacka nodded. Being called protector of humans would be a bit like calling himself a hero or something. But he was strong and a growling sound came as the Wookiee showed Xander the meaning of strength.
The two slowly started to smile as they crushed each other's hands harder and harder.
Jaina blinked. "Is he trying to out-strength a Wookiee?"
Jacen nodded. "He is strong, but no way" he said. His hand was finally working again.
Xander grinned. "I have NO idea how strong I am. I recently suffered an enhancement that made me grow
stronger, much stronger." It was apparent that the Wookiee was still stronger than Xander.
"But not Wookiee strength."
Tenel-Ka nodded and spoke from where she was standing next to Xander. "Indeed."
Xander spun around with a surprised yelp. He was ready to fight, but he managed to stop himself, before he could attack the girl. "Damn it. Do not sneak up on me. Where I grew up, anybody sneaking up on you was an enemy." The girl was his age or maybe a year younger. She had red hair and her left arm ended near the elbow. Something had cut of her arm. But from the way she moved, sure of herself, he could see that the loss of one arm did not stop her in anyway.
Tenel-Ka smiled. "I might remember that." She said with no worry in her voice. This would be fun, somebody to sneak up on.
"You said you have NO idea exactly how strong you are." Jacen said.
Xander blinked and stopped glaring at the red-haired girl.
Xander answered, "Yea, the change made me stronger over night and it also made my eyes funky green and yellow." Beside him the three friends looked at each other. They and Luke would have to teach Xander to control his strength also.
Jaina smiled up to her friend. The silent Wookiee was apparently thinking about something.
M-TD voice was the only one that was heard. "Good morning Master Alexander. I am M-TD Wookiee human translator droid and I am fluent in over six forms of communications."
"Over six forms? I have been more impressed before." Xander said ironically.
The others were surprised that that actually got the droid to shut up. It was sulking.
Xander said. "Um sorry, I just know six forms myself. I talk Basic, English, a bit of Huttese, I read Latin and can read four other languages with some help." O yes, the Giles translation school of nightmare, learn to read fast or the end of the world might happen. It was surprisingly effective.
The poor droid kept sulking.
Then the lesson started.
-KA-
Two months later
"Yo gang" Xander said as he jumped down the stairs, shocking the younger students as he fell down at least two floors before slowing down and landing softly beside his friends.
Tenel-Ka grinned as she pushed her walking staff towards Xander in a fast attack, which Xander as always dodged, and did a sweeping kick with his right leg. Tenel-ka jumped over it with ease as she slammed the staff down, but Xander managed to grab the staff and pulled it towards him. Tenel-Ka lost her balance only for a second, but that was all he needed. Quickly he flipped his finger over her nose.
"Got you this time." he said.
Tenel-Ka nodded smiling. "Indeed but the last time I got you." she said.
It was the staff's fault, with only one hand to move, the long walking staff made her slower and put her out of balance. That was fine with her, life was a challenge and beating the challenge was so much fun. Eventually she might get a new cybernetic left arm.
In the mean time, life with only one arm was perhaps more of a challenge. So why remove those difficulties she had to defeat by replacing the arm that was lost because of her own foolish mistake? The harder the challenge, the sweeter was the victory.
Jaina giggled. "So, we haven't seen you in over a week. What happened?"
Xander shrugged. "Master Skywalker said I should relax a bit. He said I was one of the most driven and focused students he has ever had." He grinned. "That must be a first time ever. On my home world I used to be a clown, no studying, just having fun and later fighting to protect. Now I want to learn. I want to make a difference and now the teacher says I should take it slower."
Lowbacka growled out something and M-TD translated. "Master Lowbacka wonders, if you would like to join us in the forest. We are exploring one of the old temples and a lake."
Xander nodded. "Yea, I'll go get my swimming trunks."
-KA-
An hour later the gang had landed the air-speeder near an old lake. Now they were having a picnic.
Xander said. "I heard something big is happening and I don't understand what it's all about."
Jacen replied. "It is complicated, you know? First the fall of the republic, then the empire, after that the civil war and then there was the fall and rebuilding of the New Republic."
"So far I'm with you" Xander said.
"That's the bad part. The New Republic is almost as big as the Old Republic, but we don't have the Jedi to guard it." Jaina said.
"Still not getting it." was Xander's answer.
Jacen continued. "The Old Republic was created 10 000 years ago. It started small with many Jedi, which worked as Jedi watchmen over solar systems. Many of them build Jedi temples and schools, like Uncle Luke's school here. About 4000 years ago the Jedi Civil war started and the Republic was attacked by the Sith army."
"That was, according to what mom said, the beginning of the end. The Jedi concentrated the teaching to Coruscant, allowing only a small handful of other Jedi schools to exist and only under close surveillance from the modern temple at Coruscant. They forbid Jedi to marry, further distancing themselves from reality, but also from the risk of falling to the Dark Side." Jaina said looking at Xander.
Xander nodded. "So the number of Jedi's diminished"
They all nodded.
"Exactly, I believe the Jedi council was aware of that, but they did not really understand their own importance. The Republic with its navy, law enforcement and senate was unable to work without the guidance of the Jedi." Jacen threw a stone into the lake. "With so many millions of different aliens side by side, with different kinds of minds, behavior and cultures, ONLY a Jedi could mediate and create peace. Corruption grew stronger and stronger, until all Palpatine had to do was push and the Empire was born."
"And now they rebuilt the New Republic too fast. Too many worlds and there's only a handful of Jedi, and to make things worse, they refuse to make the Jedi an official part of the chain of command. They wanted us to be advisors. They'd call upon us only when they'd need us" Jaina said.
"Its falling apart and a civil war will happen again." Tenel-Ka said.
Jacen, Jaina and Lowbacka all knew she was the crown princess of the Hapes Cluster and the information her grandmother had told her was not pretty. "Grandma told me that in the old days the Jedi were like a conscience that guided the senators".
Xander said, "I got it. Essentially, they built a pipe dream. Without an army of Jedi, the Republic isn't able to work or even exist."
Jaina answered. "Yea, but after the fall of the Empire all the Rebel Alliance could think about was to finally rebuild the freedom of the Old Republic. Nobody really considered that the Jedi who had always been there in the background, giving words of wisdom and doing diplomatic missions, were that important."
"Some of the Idiots are making waves. The Botan's are making problems. They are building a powerbase focused on themselves and they are not the only ones, but considering that the current president IS a Botan and he does not like the Jedi..." Jacen sighed.
They were interrupted when part of the old temple suddenly gave in and collapsed into the lake. The five teenagers all stood up and stared.
"It looks like a cave or an underground part of the temple." Xander said.
Jaina nodded. "But it´s underwater now, no way we can get inside." she frowned.
Xander grinned as he pulled of his shirt. "I wouldn't be too sure about that," he said, flexing the muscles of his neck showing them his gills. "I told you I've gone through some biomod that made me into what you call Near-Human biological, compatible with normal humans, but with unique abilities."
Before they could stop him, Xander took a deep breath and jumped into the lake.
Jacen said. "So that's why he is so good at swimming and staying under water."
It was wonderful diving again. The gills were working well, it was like breathing without your nose, when you have a cold and it's full of snot.
A pair of extra eyelids protected his eyes and the muscles in the nose and mouth clamped them close, to keep water out of his lungs.
His arms and legs pushed him forward and with the help of the Force, he could now swim as fast as he could run, maybe faster.
Then there was the cave. He popped his head over the surface to take a deep breath. Not that he really needed it, just an old habit, and then he vanished into the deep. The pocket light he fortunately had with him was a universal environment torch, it worked just fine under water.
It was a hidden cave. Just nine meters inside he came to the surface.
He found an old forgotten temple room with air and plenty of space. With his help, the others could even dive in here. He stretched out with the force, trying to sense any danger. Something was calling out to him.
Slowly he walked up from the water and into the room, where lying on the ground were three glittering crystal gemstones. They sang to him and he picked them up. They where glittering in the light of his lamp. Flashes of a lightsaber appeared in his head as he studied them. He had to tell Luke, that it was time.
A few moments later he went back to get his friends.
It was a giggling Xander that helped Lowbacka inside. The young Wookiee looked like a wet dog and was just as miserable. There weren't many rooms, but they walked around. They could see old carvings and pictures made by the Massasi.
Jaina said. "They were a near-human species called the Sith and their lords, then during the old hyperspace war 10 000 years ago the first Sith empire was destroyed and as a race, they died. But their masters, the Dark side cult, survived to our days. It changed its way and form, but it still exists." She looked at the fascinated look on Xander's face. "The Massasi were mutants, created by Sith-Alchemy, twisted versions of the REAL Sith race. They were a slave race of warriors, Xander."
The picture now made more sense to him, dark and foreboding. Flashes jumped in his head as he walked along the murals, flashes of empires struggling and fighting each others. Jedi VS Jedi in a war that would reshape the galaxy. Xander swallowed. "I got a flash from a future. A galaxy in war," he said.
Lowbacka growled, "Gree" and M-TD translated. "He is wondering…"
Xander interrupted the droid. "I got the feeling a time of choosing is coming. The Jedi have to make a choice who is going to be the new heir to the Republic. The faster the choice is made, the shorter the time of war will be." He looked at them. "Or something like that."
Jacen said. "Perhaps you are just affected by what we talked about."
Xander shrugged. "I don't think so," he said with hunted eyes. "I really don't think so."
The teens were silent. All of them had experienced war in different ways.
Lowbacka roared a Wookiee war roar and slammed his mighty fist in the wall, crushing an old stone. M-TD piped up. "Master Lowbacka says that as long as we stay true to the light and stand strong, nothing will bring us down."
Lowbacka grabbed the droid and shook him. "Growled groaaer," angry at the translator droid.
M-TD defended itself. "Well, that was what you really meant to say. Alright, Master Lowbacka said bring it on. Really my translation was much better."
Laughter and a few stray giggles filled the old underground chambers as they investigated the rest of it.
They found a pair of old weapons, waraxes or something. Xander lifted the axe. It had a long two-handed pole arm, but something was strange. "Looks like something is supposed to be put here." he said.
On the blade of the axe there was a holdout area were something could be placed and even a trigger mechanism.
Jacen "It's a Massassi Lanvarok. They put a disk with razor sharp edges in there. Then when they swing the axe, they can pull the trigger with their hands and send the disk flying, using only brute strength."
Xander looked around finding a pair of rusty disks on the floor. Pushing them in the axe blade he could see that once upon a time the axe would actually grab a hold on the disks and hold it there until it was released by a trigger. "How the hell do they aim with it?"
Jaina giggled. "They do not. They used the force to make sure the disk hits the target. It's an OLD Sith weapon which is famous because there are no real aiming mechanisms. You use the force to guide the missile or disk in the air. It's a hunting weapon, but the Sith used it as a weapon of war during the hyperspace war 10 000 years ago. It became a legend and a myth."
Jacen nodded. "You would not believe how many holovidios of magical lanvaroks are out there. This one is a massassi version they are more primitive then a real Sith Lanvarok. Which is a wrist mounted weapon that would magnetically accelerate a number of disks at the target at the same time."
Jaina continued. "Still even the more advanced version depends on the force to actually hit anything."
Tenel-ka grinned. "I have tried a modern build version of a Sith Lanvarok, it´s deadly silent and fast. I believe If you master it you could shoot around a corner with it. Of course, it looks more impressive than it actually is. But still the razor sharp disk could do great deal of damage to unprotected targets and if you use vibroshivs instead..."
Xander eyes narrowed. "I wonder, if I could do that with my magnum."
Jacen sighted "You still going to carry that museum reject with you? A Blaster is a hundred times more effective that that old thing."
Xander shrugged. "Yes. But the Blasters are silent, my gun on the other hand has a great big voice of doom." he grinned and if the Sith could guide a disk using the force, he could learn to do the same with a bullet.
The future was coming. His old world had demons, angels and other mystical monsters. This world had the Light and the Dark side of the Force.
Xander turned around, almost towering over the others even though Jacen was the same size and Lowbacka was more than a head taller.
"The future might be dangerous, big choices that will affect the galaxy will come, but that's not important. The important thing is to keep your friends and your love alive." Xander said, smiling to the girls, especially Jaina, she reminded him of Buffy, Cordelia and Willow, all three. She was as smart as Willow, a bit of a geek at times, strong and brave like Buffy and she knew fashion, the way of the mighty and liked to say the truth even when it was painful and hard just like Cordelia.
Yes, mission accomplished.
He made her blush.
To see picture of the ship he stole go to this page and look at Ghtroc 720
http:/deckplans./
http:/deckplans./Ghtroc/720/Ghtroc_720_Light_Freighter_